Courses

Earth & Planetary Sciences: Astrobiology is the study of life throughout the universe. The course will cover the search for, and characterization of, habitable worlds. We will explore the formation and evolution of stars and planets, the astronomical and geological factors that impact a planet's habitability, the evolution of life on Earth, and the potential for biological evolution beyond an organism's planet of origin..

2.This is a double-prefix course and is identical in content with PHYS 186.

Terms

Winter 2020

Instructors

Nicolas Cowan

Research

I study the atmospheres of extrasolar planets (planets orbiting stars other than the Sun) using space telescopes and novel remote sensing methods. My goal is to empirically measure their atmospheric reflectiveness (clouds), infrared opacity (greenhouse gases), and heat transport (winds). These are the dominant factors that determine the climate on all planets, including Earth. In order to make these measurements, I obtain and analyze observations from telescopes on the ground and in space. Often, this analysis involves constructing temperature and surface maps of the exoplanets ("exo-cartography").